


Owl Be Yours

by SabineLiebling



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Genre: First Kiss, Fluff, Kissing, Love Confessions, M/M, Romance, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-15
Updated: 2020-02-15
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:27:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22727632
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SabineLiebling/pseuds/SabineLiebling
Summary: Link wants to know if Shad has plans... on Valentine's Day of all days. Could the hero's intention to spend the day with Shad be something more than just friendship?
Relationships: Link/Shad (Legend of Zelda)
Comments: 14
Kudos: 27





	Owl Be Yours

**Author's Note:**

> Enjoy this super fluffy one-shot of Shad/Link, with a cheesy Valentine's theme and silly, silly title!  
> Please note, this is just generic Shad/Link, and not the specific couple from my fic Heartbreak’s Remedy

A hopeful little smile spread over Shad’s face as he made his way through the city streets towards Telma’s Bar. He adjusted his bowtie before stepping inside, quickly scanning the sparsely-populated room. Schooling his features so as not to show his disappointment when he didn’t spot who he expected, Shad stepped up to the bar to speak with Telma. 

“Have you, ah, perhaps seen Link about today?” A slight blush stole over his cheeks and he glanced down at the bar top, then back up at the smiling proprietress. 

“If you’re trying to ask if he’s here, no, I haven’t seen him for hours.” 

Shad’s heart dropped a little at hearing that the handsome swordsman wasn’t around, and he sighed heavily. 

“Was he supposed to be here, honey? You seem a little low.” Telma gave him a concerned look as she leaned in, her elbows resting on the bar.

“Oh, no. Well, I mean, not really.” Shad reached up to fiddle with the buttons on his jacket. “He- he just… You see, yesterday he enquired if I had any plans today, to which I replied no, I did not. I- I had… Well, I suppose it’s silly, but I had hoped that might mean he intended to make plans with _me_ today. And with it being Valentine’s Day, I suppose I might have hoped that it might… mean something. Something more than just friendship.”

Telma gave him a gentle smile. “Oh, Shad, well of course you have those hopes. Ashei and I both keep telling you that he’s sweet on you, same as you are on him. Especially with how much time you boys have been spending together in these weeks since the victory.” Telma put a hand on her ample hip, considering. “You know, it’s possible he didn’t even realize it’s Valentine’s Day today. Who knows if they celebrate that in Ordon?”

“Hmm. You might be onto something there, my dear Telma, I hadn’t considered the possibility of different cultural celebrations in the separate regions of Hyrule. Thank you for your support and encouragement, it is much appreciated, as always.” Shad stepped back from the bar. “Ah well. Perhaps I’ll see him another time then.” 

Before he could turn away, Telma spoke up. “Oh, he did leave you a note though.”

Shad’s eyes widened. When he spoke, it was in a tone of flustered admonishment. “Telma! Well why in Hyrule didn’t you just say so right away?!”

Chuckling, Telma reached below the bar and pulled out a small, folded piece of paper. “Sorry honey, I guess I’ve got more on my mind than just your love life. Here.” She offered Shad the note with a shrug of apology.

Shad took it with slightly trembling hands. He glanced up at Telma questioningly and she nodded her head at him in encouragement. He unfolded the note and read the simple message. 

_Shad,_

_Come meet me at the old ruins overlooking Lake Hylia outside of town. Remember the owl statue there you marked on my map? There’s something I want you to see._

_Link_

Shad blinked as he took in the brief contents. Go meet Link at the ruins of the old amphitheater so he could show him something to do with the owl statues? What on earth could it be? A little thrill of excitement ran through him as he realized that Link had in fact planned to spend time with him today after all, _and_ that those plans included his specific area of interest. 

Beaming, he looked up at Telma. “It looks like I have plans after all, my dear Telma. I’m to meet Link for some sort of discovery he’s made, I believe.” 

Telma smiled down at him and nodded her head towards the door. “Well then get going, honey! Don’t keep that man waiting!” 

Shad strode briskly out the door, his smile larger than the one he’d had on the way here. He made one brief stop to pick something up in town before he headed out of the western gate. He made his way swiftly over the bridge and turned south towards the amphitheater. The day was warmer than usual for February and Shad swore he could almost smell the coming of spring in the sun-drenched meadow around him. Coming over the last rise, he scanned the ruins until his eyes landed on Link’s familiar green-clad figure. His heart skipped a beat as Link heard him coming and turned, a huge grin splitting his cheeks. How was it that something as simple as a smile from Link could always make his heart stop like that? Could it be because it seemed like Shad was the only one who Link consistently greeted with that enthusiastic grin? Shad felt the beginnings of a blush on his face and he dropped his gaze, smiling at the ground for a few steps. He made his way down the stone stairs and joined Link at the bottom of the amphitheater, directly in front of the Owl Statue there. 

“I’m so glad you could come, Shad.” Link was still beaming at him as he reached out his hand to squeeze Shad’s upper arm in an affectionate greeting. 

“You had me at ‘ruins’, old boy.” Shad joked, attempting to laugh away his touch of nerves. “I’m happy to be here.” Link just stood there, smiling at him, rocking back and forth on his heels slightly. Shad flushed under the scrutiny of those beautiful sapphire eyes. “Ah, what was it you wanted to show me?” he asked, trying to shift the attention away from himself. 

“Oh! Right!” Link rolled his eyes at himself and then reached into one of his belt pouches. He pulled out a long silvery rod, carved and decorated. The base was slender and then flared out into a triple winged shape at its tip. Shad shivered as Link held up the object. He still felt a thrilling sense of wonder and curiosity whenever Link pulled oversized items out of the magically-enhanced pouches of his Hero’s garb, despite having seen him do it several times now. 

“This is the Dominion Rod.” Link held it out towards him. 

“Oh! The object you discovered in the Temple of Time? The one you said was of assistance in your quest to reach the City in the Sky?” 

Link nodded. “That’s the one!”

Shad leaned in close, studying the artifact. He remembered Link’s description of the item from the many times that the hero had shared tales of his journey with him over the past several weeks. Link had been a little closed-mouthed when they’d first met, but he’d opened up to Shad after working with him as part of the Resistance. They’d been getting to know each other quite well, now that Link had so much more free time after his victory. They often spent long hours together down at Telma’s as they recounted tales of their discoveries and adventuring. Shad had found Link so easy to talk to. The hero was actually an eager listener and asked intelligent questions, showing Shad he truly paid attention. Link was humble when he spoke of his own exploits, downplaying them, and Shad admired him the more for it. Link always focused his tales on the people and creatures who he had helped and who’d helped him in return, instead of on his own glory. 

“Well, I daresay I am grateful that you’ve shown it to me, but I’m not entirely certain why we had to come all the way out here to do so? Although I do admit, it’s a very atmospheric place, with a lovely view.” Shad looked around, admiring the picturesque ruins, perched on a cliff above Lake Hylia. 

“Yes, it’s a stunning view.”

Shad turned back to find Link looking at him, something unreadable in his intense gaze. The hero’s tousled locks and the tip of his long hat were swaying gently in the breeze off the lake. Shad swallowed as he met those fierce eyes and felt goosebumps break out all over his body. For some odd reason he had a swiftly passing feeling like he was _prey,_ of all the strange things. 

Suddenly, Link shook his head and chuckled, breaking the moment. “Shad. I didn’t want you to just _see_ it. I wanted to give you the chance to _use_ it.” He held out the rod again to Shad.

“Oh,” Shad exhaled the little word in surprise, his eyes round. He reached for the rod with a trembling hand. It wasn’t as heavy as Shad had feared it might be, but it still wasn’t lightweight. “M-me? You would entrust me with the power of this ancient device?” 

Link nodded and ran his fingers back through his sandy hair once he’d handed off the rod. “Of course, Shad. I’d trust you more with this than anyone else I know. Besides, that thing is actually remarkably sturdy.”

“I’m not going to ask how you know that, old boy,” Shad said dryly. “I can’t bear to think of anything reckless happening to a priceless relic like this.”

Chuckling, Link came up behind Shad and steered him by his shoulders until he was facing the other direction. Shad looked up and saw the owl statue looming over him. He glanced expectantly at Link, not knowing what he was supposed to do. 

“Does it have a magic word or something?” he asked, a brow raised in curiosity. 

“Well, not to use it right now, but actually yeah, kinda. But you already spoke it when you reactivated it for me, a few months back.” Link shrugged one shoulder. “But you remember how when I brought back the Ancient Sky Book it had more characters in it than when I showed you the first time?” At Shad’s nod, Link continued. “Well, that’s because I found more characters underneath the owl statues you marked on my map. I used the rod to move the statues out of the way and there they were.” Link glanced down briefly and tugged on his fingerless gloves. “I was thinking maybe you’d like to try that out. To use it to move the statue yourself, see if there’s any more writing underneath it.”

“Oh, I say! How exciting! There was Sky writing under each of the statues? Yes, I’d love to give it a try.” Shad turned back towards the statue and then paused, looking up at the pillar the statue had been on before Link had moved it as part of his previous quest. “Wouldn’t the Sky writing have been up on that pillar though, under where the statue originally was? Surely there won’t be new writing here, under its current position?”

“Oh Shad, just go with it!” Link burst out. Shad looked up in surprise. Link was rubbing the back of his neck, shuffling from foot to foot. “Do you want the chance to use the Dominion Rod or not?” 

“Of course I do!” Shad noted with curiosity that Link’s cheeks had turned rosy. “How do I use it?” 

Link briefly explained, telling Shad how to activate it, throw the ball of light at the statue, and then how to move so the statue would follow his movements. “Go on!” he urged the redhead. 

Shad took a deep breath, readying himself. He raised the rod over his head and flung the ball of yellow light at the middle of the owl statue. The statue responded, the strange humming noises reverberating off the steps of the amphitheater around them. The middle of the statue seemed to catch the light and glow with it. Shad’s heart leapt into his throat with excitement and he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. He was controlling ancient technology!

“Link, this is simply amazing! To think that I have the power of the ancient ones at my fingertips, it… it simply boggles the mind!” Shad took a hesitant step to the left and was surprised to find that there were indeed characters on the ground where the statue had been. “Why, I daresay you’re correct about there being Sky writing underneath the statue, despite it being moved from its original location!” He paused and peered closely at the ground, translating the characters as he slowly walked with the rod, getting used to his control of the device. “I… N… E… and a question mark? What on earth could that mean? Ine?”

Link glanced from Shad’s face down to the ground where the scholar was reading and turned crimson. “No, no, you’re supposed to go the other way!” he exclaimed. 

“The other way? Whatever do you mean?” Shad furrowed his brow in puzzlement. Swiftly, Link leapt behind him and put his hands over Shad’s to guide his movements. Shad felt every inch of Link’s hot skin touching his as he slid the statue back into its original position. 

Link stepped away and looked up at Shad. “Walk towards me to reveal the words,” he explained his voice low. 

Shad began to slowly walk towards Link on his right, translating the characters as they appeared and speaking them out loud. “W… i… l… will! Y… o… you, will you. B… e… m… y… Will you be my… “ Shad stopped, glancing up at Link. The sandy haired hero was blushing furiously, but he held Shad’s gaze, his eyes bright. Shad looked back at the characters and finished moving the statue over. He read the final word in his mind. It felt like the earth had suddenly stopped spinning and he’d been thrown off the planet at high speed. 

“Valentine. Will you be my Valentine?” Shad glanced back up at Link as he lowered the rod, the power flying back to it from the owl statue. It felt like his heart was going to thump its way out of his chest. He swallowed hard. “Did… did you write this for me, Link?”

Link nodded his head, a shy smile curving his lips as he held Shad’s gaze. “Yes,” he whispered. “Will you?”

Shad felt like he’d been poured full of the golden nectar of the gods, a heady brew made of life and love and happiness. He giggled as it overflowed and came pouring out of him. “Yes! Yes!” he replied enthusiastically. “Ah, that is…” He clapped his hand to his mouth, his indigo eyes shining. Taking a calming breath, he dropped his hand and cleared his throat. “Yes, Link. I would _love_ to be your Valentine.”

Smiling at him, Link stepped in close and took the dominion rod out of Shad’s hand, putting it back into his pouch. He slipped his calloused, warm palm into Shad’s hand. Shad felt butterflies all throughout him, fluttering and bringing little wafts of joy with each beat of their delicate wings. “I-I thought maybe you didn’t celebrate Valentine’s Day. When I hadn’t heard from you earlier, before I went by Telma’s. I thought that maybe you didn’t know what you were asking me when you wanted to know if I had plans today.” Shad’s voice was soft, and he brought his gaze shyly up to Link’s bright blue one. “Clearly I was wrong.”

“Oh, I knew what I was asking.” Link was quiet too. “I’ve been planning this for awhile. Remember I asked you for the Ancient Sky Book back, a couple of weeks ago? I had to figure out all these characters to spell out this message, and then practice before getting the chalk to write it out today. I wanted it to be perfect,” he admitted. 

“I can’t believe you went to such lengths for me.” Shad felt his cheeks turn hot as Link held his gaze, his warm eyes intense. 

“Shad, that’s the _least_ I’d do for you. You’re worth every bit of effort and _so_ much more. You… you know I’m not a man of fancy words like you, but… “ He paused and took a deep breath before he continued. “You have my heart, Shad, if you want it. You’ve had it for awhile now.” Link smiled at him and stepped in closer, angling his head up at Shad.

Shad’s own heart felt like it was going to burst out of his chest. He grabbed Link’s other hand and brought it to his chest to feel the pounding beats. “I most certainly do want your heart, and you’ve captured mine as well.”

Link untangled the fingers of one hand from Shad’s and brought it up the scholar’s arm to his shoulder, leaving goosebumps in his wake. His big sapphire eyes looked up at him with a question in them and Shad smiled, nodding his head just the tiniest bit. He’d say yes to so much Link asked of him right now. 

Link smiled in return, his eyes flashing from Shad’s eyes to his lips. Shad shivered at the hungry look Link gave him before he slid his hand from Shad’s shoulder to his neck, angling the scholar’s head down to meet his. Shad closed his eyes and leaned in, inhaling in delight as his lips pressed softly against Link’s own. Little tingling bubbles of happiness were rising up in him from his toes to the top of his head. He couldn’t believe he was finally doing this with the charming hero that he’d secretly been falling head over heels for.

Link brought his hand down to the scholar’s back and pulled him closer, just as Shad was wrapping his arm around the hero. Their eyes met again, and so did their lips, this time with their mouths slightly open. Link sucked Shad’s lower lip between his own and smiled as Shad moaned lightly into his mouth. Link nipped and kissed all along his lower lip until Shad gasped and opened his mouth for another kiss. Their tongues met this time as they explored each other’s mouths for several more heated kisses. 

When they finally broke apart to catch their breath, Shad noticed Link sank back down a couple of inches. Smirking at him, he couldn’t help but ask, “Were you on your tiptoes that whole time?”

Link's cheeks turned red instantly. “Yes,” he replied, a little defensively. “It’s not my fault you’re so tall.”

Shad chuckled, bringing their still-joined hands to his mouth to kiss Link’s knuckles. “No, it’s not, and I’ll happily bend down for more kisses like that from you.” Proving his words, Shad leaned over as Link captured his lips in another hot kiss. The feel and taste of Link on his lips was overwhelming and Shad felt almost dizzy with pleasure. Shad’s hands roamed over Link’s back, feeling his rippling muscles below his tunic. Link responded, pulling Shad closer up against him. 

Breathless, Link pulled back, resting his forehead against Shad’s. “I’m so glad I met you, Shad. I’ve felt like this about you for awhile, and I’m so happy I had the chance today to tell you how I feel.”

“I’m glad too, my dear Link. I’m beyond flattered that you arranged this surprise for me, and I’m afraid mine for you pales in comparison.”

“A surprise for me?” Link cocked his head. “What surprise?”

Shad took a half-step back from Link and pulled out a small box from his own belt pouch. “I picked these up on the way here. I was going to offer to share them with you, as a treat. I remembered that you’d said the other day that you have never had the opportunity to try them.”

Link opened the box to find several bright red strawberries dipped in a dark, rich chocolate. His eyes lit up with delight. “Shad! You’re the sweetest! But, I thought you said you didn’t think I’d meant this as a Valentine’s date. But you brought me a gift anyway?”

“Oh, that. I was, well, ah… “ Shad looked down, a light blush stealing across his high cheekbones. “I was actually planning on telling you how I felt about you myself. I thought you might enjoy sharing these with me after I confessed my feelings.” 

“You were?” Link laughed, shaking his head. “Well I’m glad I got to go first! It wouldn’t have been half as impressive for me to just show it to you after you’d asked me! I guess that worked out better than either of us expected.” He led Shad over to the stone steps and they sat down next to each other. 

Shad took out a strawberry and held it up to Link’s lips. “Tradition dictates that your, ah, lover should feed it to you on Valentine’s Day.” His cheeks and the tips of his ears turned hot as he said the word “lover” and he knew he was blushing. Link caught his tone and met his gaze. He leaned forward and took a delicate bite of the treat, his sultry blue eyes locked onto Shad’s. Shad shivered as Link’s supple lips grazed against the edges of his fingertips. 

Link reached into the box and pulled out another strawberry, bringing it to Shad’s mouth. “Well then let me join that tradition, _lover_.” He watched with delight as Shad’s blush turned two shades darker while he tasted the treat in Link’s hand. Link leaned in to kiss away a tiny speck of chocolate on the corner of Shad’s mouth. Shad turned his head, leaning hungrily into Link’s kiss. Their mouths connected passionately again as they tasted the sweetness on each other’s tongues. 

They spent the rest of the afternoon at the ruins, feeding each other treats and licking them off each other’s lips and fingertips, slowly exploring this new heat that was building between them. They spoke excitedly, unable to resist telling the other how much and why they liked them, now that there was no need for secrets. 

As they headed back towards Castle Town at sunset, hand in hand, Shad realized with a sigh that this was the first time that Valentine’s Day had been a romantic holiday for him. He couldn’t have asked for a better one, or to spend it with a more amazing person. He glanced at Link, who caught his gaze, his eyes full of warmth as he smiled back at Shad. Shad’s heart felt full and he knew without a doubt that he was now much more than just Link’s friend, or even his Valentine. He was _his_. 


End file.
